HC Deb 31 October 2000 vol 355 cc412-3W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the live pilot of electronic VAT returns. [135876]

Dawn Primarolo

Customs and Excise have been developing a system to allow businesses to send their VAT returns securely over the internet. Following introduction of enabling legislation in the Finance Act 1999, and secondary legislation in February 2000, a limited live pilot of internet VAT returns started on 1 March 2000.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 28 July 2000,Official Report, column 1034W, on tax returns and the internet, if he will publish the data for each month since 1 January 1997 on how many self-assessment tax returns were (a) issued, (b) received, (c) waiting to be processed and (d) processed; and if he will make a statement. [134238]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 30 October 2000]: The Inland Revenue's self-assessment internet service is the first in a series of electronic services which will be delivered in line with the Government policy that all transactions with Government should be capable of being done electronically by 2005.

The architecture of the internet service has not only been designed to cope with the increase in take-up of the self-assessment internet service, but will serve enhancements to that service and future services, such as that for companies, which will be delivered over the next three years.

Tax Year/Date SA returns issued SA returns received SA returns processed SA returns waiting to be processed
1997–98
3 May 1998 8,547,334 259,674 81,451 178,223
31 May 1998 8,633,913 702,870 319,585 383,285
28 June 1998 8,711,634 1,298,673 781,249 517,424
2 August 1998 8,788,923 2,083,105 1,446,595 636,510
30 August 1998 8,845,663 2,787,577 2,021,854 765,723
27 September 1998 8,897,137 3,895,601 2,711,470 1,184,131
1 November 1998 8,954,973 4,944,042 3,912,100 1,031,942
29 November 1998 9,000,034 5,342,335 4,677,158 665,177
3 January 1999 9,024,722 5,816,006 5,165,156 650,850
31 January 1999 9,030,450 7,913,563 6,005,521 1,908,042
28 February 1999 9,086,725 8,254,640 7,252,124 1,002,516
28 March 1999 9,116,935 8,374,888 7,973,651 401,237
1998–99
2 May 1999 8,734,295 306,529 109,778 196,751
30 May 1999 8,826,638 805,864 432,451 373,413
27 June 1999 8,891,744 1,370,936 879,982 490,954
1 August 1999 8,967,094 2,167,722 1,559,826 607,896
29 August 1999 9,015,798 2,900,715 2,111,840 788,875
30 September 1999 9,057,063 4,472,780 2,938,795 1,533,985
31 October 1999 9,109,718 5,006,960 3,931,560 1,075,400
28 November 1999 9,137,453 5,397,759 4,658,370 739,389
2 January 2000 9,150,632 5,873,843 5,148,274 725,569
31 January 1999 9,125,743 7,872,689 5,867,559 2,005,130
27 February 2000 9,178,845 8,343,965 7,041,913 1,302,052
2 April 2000 9,214,442 8,506,751 8,043,818 462,933
1999–2000
30 April 2000 8,763,125 202,063 0 202,063
28 May 2000 8,874,848 652,810 33 652,777
2 July 2000 8,955,640 1,321,170 536,960 784,210
30 July 2000 9,004,347 2,010,712 1,112,762 897,950
3 September 2000 9,054,837 2,885,753 1,851,942 1,033,811
1 October 2000 9,095,909 4,200,312 2,592,546 1,607,766